ALBUM REVIEW: Guerrilla Alliance - Empire of Fear

At this point, Guerrilla Alliance should be a staple in your hip hop education. Vega X and Macabean the Rebel have been blessing the masses with knowledge and eliminating the fake fraudulent false rappers for a couple albums now, and Empire of Fear is yet another gem in their catalog. As they continue to progress in their quest to inform those who are still sleeping on the realities of the world, their music only keeps getting better. Once again they have crafted an album full of raw rhymes and dark production that will have you exploring lost caves in search of the truth.

After a neck breaking intro, Guerrilla Alliance waste no time as their tear apart “The War Scroll”. Next up is a tribute to their fallen friend, Vee Eye, and following that is the first of many highlights on this album as the beat for “Ghost in the Machine” fades in and lyrical exercises commence. Joining VX and Mac on “Alliance of Peril”, Lone Ninja is just one of the many guests who contribute greatly to Empire of Fear’s deep bench of role players perfectly positioned to help Guerrilla Alliance spread their message. “Megiddo” and “Omerta” are both Guerrilla Alliance staple tracks which are perfect examples of exactly how Vega X and Macabean shine together and provide music that makes you think as well as beats you in the head with knowledge.

Where this album really kicks into overdrive is on “Scimitar” as Highdro and Tehutimo both contribute ridiculous verses and Vega especially shines over a beat so hard it will make you wanna smack an old lady square across the face for no reason at all. “Eye 4 An Eye” with Block McCloud and Black Earth with Rasul Allah7 only further the climb this album takes with more great guest features and a feeling that something big is on its way. Then, if the epic samples and even more epic beat of “Predatory Spiritualism” aren’t enough to have you slammed against the wall like those old Maxwell cassette tape commercials, Chief Kamachi rolls through and blazes through the song to provide more support to the Guerrilla Alliance team.

You knew the best was yet to come and “Ordo Ab Chao” is exactly that. The beat alone is a furious journey that feels like a battle happening right in front of you, Macabean and Vega both come as correct as possible and do the solid production justice and just when you think you’ve been defeated by an army of machete wielding soldiers, the great Canibus launches into a verse that sounds like it’s 1997 all over again and he’s hungry to break into the game. Say what you want about Canibus, but he absolutely bodies this track.

Sometimes labeled as conspiracy theory rap, what Guerrilla Alliance accomplishes with Empire of Fear is providing a musical soundscape that combines both the book heavy thought provoking raps about the Illuminati and battlegrounds comparable to the movie “300” with classic hardcore production and overall great rhyme skills. The verbal styles of Mac and VX are very different but they complement each other perfectly, and both make the beats their own as they tackle the cathedral like production. Having heard “Guerrilla Warfare” as well as Vega’s solo records and various mixtapes, it is safe to say that Empire of Fear is Guerrilla Alliance’s greatest project thus far and absolutely needs to be ingested and digested and kept on repeat to catch all of the brilliance contained within.  

ALBUM REVIEW: Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience Part 2

First of all…20/20 Experience Part 1 was pure greatness. That album had 9 minute songs that were too short. Part 2 though is filled with 9 minute songs that are too long. I can’t emphasize the amount of disappointment I’m feeling right now. This worse than when they killed Ricky. This worse than Rico turning on Mitch. This shit worse than the album version of “All Me” cutting the entire second Drake verse instead of giving us the whole thing. I’m gonna break this album down track by track to save yall 75 minutes that would be better spent playing GTA V and drinking Ciroc with white women.

1.      Gimmie What I Don’t Know (I Want) – how the fuck you gonna start an album singing about spirit animals? After the epic first 20/20 he already got me regretting downloading this shit for free. He wanna be Kanye so bad but naw we don’t want this nor do we need it.

2.      True Blood – this shit as long and as boring as the show.

3.      Cabaret – aight now we finally got something decent. Thank you Drake for reminding me why I should be listening to your album instead of this struggle music.

4.      TKO – I lowkey fucks with this. Keyword being “lowkey” cause it’s only a matter of time before I forget this track exists.

5.      Take Back The Night – this bootleg Michael Jackson single ain’t all that terrible but it’s definitely way too long.

6.      Murder – title is appropriate cause it makes me wanna kill myself. Even Jay knew it was wack with his bullshit ass verse.

7.      Drink You Away – fuck you Justin. This country ass shit is pure trash. I hope Jessica Biel cheats on you for making this garbage.

8.      You Got It On – aight now this album is finally getting good.

9.      Amnesia – yeah this shit is FIRE! He probably called it “Amnesia” cause he hoping we forget everything that came before it.

10.  Only When I Walk Away – this joint aight but he too fake mad on it.

11.  Not a Bad Thing / Pair of Wings – Greatest. Songs. Ever. I cried a river of tears to this shit and keep it on repeat while calling every ex I have begging for them to take me back.

There it is. Fuck you Justin for putting out this bullshit but I guess it’s cool cause the last two tracks are better than everyone else’s catalogs for the last 6 decades. I did the math and this shit is 16.6% dope. If that ain’t enough reason for you to skip this trash then you probably listen to Stalley on the regular. Peace.

Crill Gates - Gates Way To Hell (REVIEW)

 

Street rappers have been claiming how real they keep it for a minute now. With all the bars artists kick to prove how authentic their life is, there’s a huge difference between knowing how to make your drug raps seem like reality and actually speaking about the reality of what you know. This is where Crill Gates sets himself apart. On Gates Way to Hell it’s very clear that Crill is really about that life as he delivers a tape so gutter that you feel like you’re in a dirty hallway working a 24 hour shift.

Right from the jump Crill calls out those who are not on his level with “Gangsta”. A lot of people talk it, but he makes you truly feel how much he lives it with his slick gun talk and shouts to all the legends that have moved work in various capacities throughout the years. “Stray Souls” continues the hypeness and allows Crill Gates to put his brutally smooth flow on display. For someone speaking about such dark topics, Crill glides over the track with a hunger not heard in years. “Pop Off” boasts a menacing piano line as Crill goes into beast mode and “Ready For War” will bring you back to the old G-Unit days with straight up bars and an infectious hook. One of the highlights of the tape is “Facts of Life” with its beat straight out of a horror movie and the Wire references are absolutely brilliant.

PUSH! rolls through on “Street Confessions” which is another highlight of the tape for a multitude of reasons. For starters, lines like “if they using 12/12 skinnys, we using glad bags” let you know that Crill is most definitely about this life, and that he’s also very smart when it comes to business and is damn good at what he does. PUSH! also bodies the track while Crill holds his own as they trade bars, plus the hook is way too real and the beat is perfect for riding through the sunset with blunt smoke pouring out the sunroof. Also from MIB, Wink Loc shows up on “Hustle Hard” on an epic track that sounds like a war is about to break out. This is the type of track that will bring anyone who’s been inside right back to the yard. And following that up, the smoothed out “Papers Pt. 1” is as close to a track for the females as you’re gonna get on this tape, but it still maintains that street mentality which is so dope as it further proves that Crill is diverse while still maintaining the consistency of a project made for the streets. The “3mix” tracks, “Financial Freedom” and “Lean Wit It” both confirm that Crill Gates is very much at home over recognizable production and has no problem making other peoples’ tracks his own. And the closeout, “I Grind”, finds all three artists on the track (E Mac, Don Gang and Crill) lacing into a beat that will have you so hype that it’s only necessary to play the whole tape right back after.

The two qualities that a lot of street rappers lack are abilities that Crill Gates excels in, honesty and passion. With bars so lethal and detailed, it’s clear that Crill is not giving us fantasy lines, and his intensity in every verse showcases an incredibly degree of passion. Gates Way to Hell is not for fans of happy friendly hip hop. This record is for those who have looked forward to bubble coat season for the pure fact that it’s easier to carry work. If you’re looking for music to get money to, or you remember the days of checking the rearview with multiple felony charges in the whip then you’ll definitely have Gates Way to Hell on repeat.

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Top 10 Albums of 2009

As we reach the end of 2009 it is clear that we have just finished arguably the greatest year in hip hop this decade, if not in the entire history of hip hop. While it’s difficult to compare this year to those of past decades due to the immense expansion of hip hop, specifically in the mainstream, the sheer volume of quality releases is still worth noting. This year is highlighted by big name artists dropping some of their best releases, past artists proving that they still have heat, and new talents giving hope to the next generation of rap. Whether it was Jay-Z’s “Blueprint 3”, Raekwon’s “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II”, or Wale’s “Attention Deficit”, just about every fan of hip hop had something to be happy about this year. In recent years it’s been sometimes difficult to even construct a top 10 list, this year went above and beyond that and because of that it’s only fitting that the top 10 getting expanded to a top 15. These 15 albums are certainly not the only quality releases of this year but after much consideration it’s clear that these 15 stood out as going way beyond expectations, for a variety of reasons. This list is in no particular order as it was difficult enough to keep it to 15, ranking these would only cause more debate. With that said debate is always welcome and encouraged as at the end of the day, we are a culture of opinion, and have been that way ever since battles began to take place on street corners in New York. I present to you the greatest rap albums of 2009.

The Blueprint for Immobilarity

Ever present in hip hop lyrics are tales of street dealings, mostly in drugs, sometimes in women, and sometimes pure violence. In fact tales of drugs have gone as far back as the famous “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. As rap grew, so did the stories, providing more and more detail and giving more and more insight to the world of street dreams and realities. While many songs touched on various aspects of this underworld, there were two complete albums that play through like movies, life stories, biographies, entire pictures of the drug world. Each album played the role separately, one giving the rawest description, the cook up of sorts, the drugs on the table, ready to go, and the day-to-day bullshit that goes on to move that product. The other showcased the high life, the riches, the nice clothes and cars, the upside of the hustle, the kingpin’s manual for poppin’ bottles. One album looked at it from the kitchen, the other looked at it from the club. One from the work, one from the payoff. Together these albums make for the perfect combination of the drug life, both extremes with which one involved sees. With both artists on the verge of releasing new albums, both going back to old formulas of sorts, it seems fitting to take a look at the albums that defined and influenced one of the biggest aspects of hip hop, the drug dealer. The first to do it was Raekwon the Chef from legendary group Wu-Tang Clan with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… in 1995. One year later up and coming Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z gave us Reasonable Doubt. There are many other albums that contributed to the Mafioso movement in rap, Nas’ It Was Written, Mobb Deep’s The Infamous and AZ’s Doe or Die, but the genre was rooted in and flawlessly done with Rae and Jay’s masterpieces.